P.J. O'Rourke
Birthday: 14 November 1947, Toledo, Ohio, USA
Birth Name: Patrick Jake O'Rourke
P.J. O'Rourke attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he graduated in 1969, and received an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University where he was a Woodrow Wilson fellow. After college, he ...Show More
Earnestness is just stupidity sent to college.
Earnestness is just stupidity sent to college.
There's an American saying: "Anyone can become president". And in the 2016 election we've been tryin Show more
There's an American saying: "Anyone can become president". And in the 2016 election we've been trying to prove it. Hide
When people say they are going to wipe the slate clean, it's your slate they mean to wipe.
When people say they are going to wipe the slate clean, it's your slate they mean to wipe.
No one has ever had a fantasy about being tied to a bed and sexually ravished by someone dressed as Show more
No one has ever had a fantasy about being tied to a bed and sexually ravished by someone dressed as a liberal. Hide
On Hillary Clinton: "She's just one of those glossy, nosy, do-gooder types. She's too ambitious to b Show more
On Hillary Clinton: "She's just one of those glossy, nosy, do-gooder types. She's too ambitious to be dangerous." Hide
The less we understand the economy, the better it does.
The less we understand the economy, the better it does.
Americans did not come to America to be Limey Poofters...
Americans did not come to America to be Limey Poofters...
Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs Show more
Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs. Hide
On Barack Obama: "He's a charming and intelligent man, but he was a very ordinary Cook County Democr Show more
On Barack Obama: "He's a charming and intelligent man, but he was a very ordinary Cook County Democratic machine politician. It was not a very pretty bunch." Hide
A Conservative is a Liberal who has been mugged.
A Conservative is a Liberal who has been mugged.
Imagine of all of life were determined by majority rule. Every meal would be a pizza. Every pair of Show more
Imagine of all of life were determined by majority rule. Every meal would be a pizza. Every pair of pants, even those in a Brooks Brothers suit, would be stonewashed denim. Celebrity diet and exercise books would be the only thing on library shelves. And - since women are a majority of the population - we'd all be married to Mel Gibson. Hide
"Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit".
"Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit".
The weirder you're going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When Show more
The weirder you're going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person. Hide
Economics is forever telling us to leave people alone. But in modern democracies an especially poten Show more
Economics is forever telling us to leave people alone. But in modern democracies an especially potent way to acquire power is to increase regulation of all kinds. Hide
If it worked, it would not be Government. Young, bright, capable, go-getting people have little need Show more
If it worked, it would not be Government. Young, bright, capable, go-getting people have little need of politics. Hide
What a complete economic and political mess Britain had got into when Margaret Thatcher took over. T Show more
What a complete economic and political mess Britain had got into when Margaret Thatcher took over. The whole country needed a good spanking. Thatcher was good for Britain not because she was that good herself, but because Britain had got so bad. New York was the same god-damned mess before Rudy Giuliani became mayor. But not all problems can be solved by being tough. As we have seen in Iraq. Hide
Peoples who hate each other often seem to be fond of History.
Peoples who hate each other often seem to be fond of History.
[commenting on South Africa's apartheid policy] The world is built on discrimination of the most hor Show more
[commenting on South Africa's apartheid policy] The world is built on discrimination of the most horrible kind. The problem with South Africans is they admit it. Hide
I had seen what Saddam Hussein did to Kuwait. I was in favour of the war [in 2003]. But I do remembe Show more
I had seen what Saddam Hussein did to Kuwait. I was in favour of the war [in 2003]. But I do remember saying to a friend of mine, 'Don't you think this is all being thought out by people who are smarter than we are?' Apparently it wasn't. Hide
Liberals have invented whole college majors -- psychology, sociology, women's studies -- to prove th Show more
Liberals have invented whole college majors -- psychology, sociology, women's studies -- to prove that nothing is anybody's fault. Hide
P.J. O'Rourke's FILMOGRAPHY
as Actor (39)
